Department of Social Protection to Refund Rent Deductions from Social Welfare Payments Made in Error via An Post’s Household Budget Scheme

The Department of Social Protection has acknowledged an error where local authority tenants were charged an additional rent fee from their social welfare payments. The charge was mistakenly applied to tenants paying direct debits via the Household Budget scheme, following the recent €200 cost of living bonus payment. Approximately 1% of payees were affected, and the Department is working with An Post and local authorities to identify and refund those affected. The An Post scheme allows recipients of certain welfare payments to spread the cost of household bills over the year, with a maximum deduction of 25% of the payment value. The Department intends to refund those affected by the end of May.